Friday, March 29, 2013

Recommended Read: Wave

Sonali Deraniyagala has written one of the most honest, brave, and heartbreaking books I've read. We often define ourselves based on the familial roles we play: child, spouse,
parent. Imagine if all of the those identities were stripped away in one
fell swoop. Deraniyagala lost her husband, two sons, and parents in the 2004 Tsunami. She survived.

Deraniyagala's journey isn't pretty, nor a guide to handling grief. But, her family lives on in this portrait of her now-deserted existence; fittingly, in remembering the small details, she brings to life the whole picture of this previous life. You'll feel as though you know her children, could even pick them out in a crowd, she describes them so well. Her anguish and rage leap off the page. Her honesty is refreshing (from the hospital where she waits in vain for her family after the tsunami):

The boy kept walking back and forth and crying. I wanted him to stop. Someone brought a large towel and wrapped it around his shoulders. Still the boy sobbed. But I didn't speak to him. I didn't try to comfort him. Stop blubbering, I thought, shut up ... Vik and Malli didn't have a chance. Just shut up.

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Here is where we highlight the various things (books, resources, websites, pop culture, etc.) that we think are cool and other people should check out. It’s sort of like the nerdy librarian version of GOOP or O! Magazine. You are welcome to think of us as heftier, less famous Gwenyth Paltrows; but we prefer to be thought of as younger, thinner Oprahs.